Ben Foster is set to hand Manchester United and England a significant injury boost.

The Guardian says Foster, who needed an operation in the close season to deal with a persistent knee-ligament problem, was not expected to be available until March but the specialists who have been treating him believe he could return in January.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says England cannot afford to drop any points for the rest of their Euro2008 qualifying campaign.

Ferdinand said: "I think we still need to win every game - even in Moscow. But we can do that. It was a pleasing performance against Israel but it's only the first result in a batch of five qualifying games.

Eight United players have been named among the top 100 footballers in the world in a list compiled by FourFourTwo magazine.

Cristiano Ronaldo, United's outstanding player in the title-winning 2007/08 campaign, was pipped to first place by AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaka, who was the key figure in the Italian side's Champions League success last term.